D.C. is towing cars with tons of unpaid tickets under new program
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
Repeat traffic offenders with thousands of dollars in unpaid tickets are having their cars towed under a new D.C. pilot program.
Why it matters: It's a step toward safer streets, per officials — people with several violations and outstanding fines are often riskier drivers, D.C. Vision Zero director Charlie Willson told WTOP.
The big picture: D.C. saw a 16-year high in traffic deaths last year, as the city struggles to crack down on dangerous driving.
- As of last May, over 6.2 million traffic tickets adding up to almost $1.3 billion remained unpaid to D.C. since the start of 2000, the Washington Post reported.
- One Maryland car had $186,000 in unpaid fines from 339 tickets as of last year.
Earlier this year, the D.C. Council passed the Steer Act, which targets dangerous drivers via moves like levying points on vehicles for speeding and allowing the attorney general to sue drivers with multiple violations.
- Parts of the law could go into effect later this year — should the funding be approved, per a council spokesperson.
How it works: The "scofflaw" pilot targets cars parked in Ward 1 — which spans Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Adams Morgan, the U Street Corridor, Park View, and Shaw — with unpaid fines totaling at least $3,000.
- Enforcement officers use license plate readers to identify vehicles with outstanding fines surpassing the threshold.
The intrigue: Ward 1 was picked as the launch point because there's likely a high concentration of scofflaw cars parked on the street instead of on private property, reports WTOP.
- The program might expand to other parts of the city if successful.